In Houston, an estimated 725,000 people are food insecure, 500,000 of whom are living in federally designated districts where the closest supermarket is more than a mile away. These districts are found predominantly in the city’s historically underinvested communities, neighborhoods in which economic inequity has endured for generations. Exacerbating these struggles, the public health and economic crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Black and Latinx residents and those living in these underinvested neighborhoods. With this in mind, the city added a Covid-19 addendum to its Resilient Houston strategy that focuses on investing in Houston’s food ecosystem to combat food insecurity and provide new pathways to employment.
Houston is partnering with FUSE Executive Fellow Jeremy Logan to support these efforts to develop and institutionalize a comprehensive food access strategy and model. Jeremy will be essential to developing a cohesive response to food insecurity in the city, ultimately increasing residents’ access to quality fresh foods and local job prospects.
